Colorful Whitsunday Island

Sunday 18 March. Three day Whitsunday on a catamaran. Lots of snorkeling and a bit of sailing. But first check in at Wings. Fill in the same digital forms in their office as I did at the reconfirmation on the internet. Before entering the boat again a digital form. So 4 times a reconfirmation. For Aussies standard procedure. The inefficiency in this country is astounding. Skipper Traver and his crew Polish Manny and Aussie Cate are good fun. We sail to Whitsunday Island. Have lunch on the boat and soon the first stop. Snorkeling in a wetsuit, for the stingers or jellyfish as the rest of the world calls them. See colorful corals and fish. More snorkeling before we stay the night in a bay and do some stargazing. Have a nice chat on deck with Dutch Robert and Robert, Maud and Annick to discover everyone is gone to sleep.

Next morning an early start, do the trail to the lookout over Whitsaunday Beach. Beautiful view of the white beach and the multi-colored blue river and sea. Very cool. Down to the beach and walk into the sea, alias river, and then we see a stingray just 2 m before us on the bottom. Luckily it swims away, but maybe we have to be more precautious. Now we see dark spots everywhere, stingray or shadow? No more stingrays. At the next spot skipper Traver feed the fish and heaps of Yellowtail Fusiliers and other fish swim around us. Three big trevallies and George, a big Humphead Maori Wrasse, show up. We stay in a bay for the night and play cards.

Tuesday a fresh start with snorkeling at the spot we stayed the night. Back to Airlie Beach and stay the afternoon at the lagoon with Canadian Daniel and Aisley. The Whitsunday adventure is already over.